Primary Sources are the only way that students today can understand what happened in the past. By examining a primary source, you are looking at real records, documents, and images that represent events in our history. The facts are in front of you to analyze. There are many different types of primary sources that can help to clarify and tell the story.
The Importance of Primary Sources
Primary sources are often times the only record of what occurred from the past. Human memory can provide us with first hand testimony, but the
actual artifacts provide us with an opportunity to carefully examine those materials in an unbiased manner. They provide us with a picture and an
understanding of what really happened during those times.
Types of Primary Sources
Photographs
Newspapers
Letters
Diaries
Vital Records
Manuscripts
Speeches
Institutional Records
Maps
Artifacts
Videos and Audio Recordings
Analyzing Primary Sources
The following five-step process can help you to analyze a primary source:
1. What type of primary sources is it?
2. Who created the primary source?
3. Where and when was it created?
4. What does the source tell you?
5. Why was it created?
Questions to ask:
1. What is the material?
2. Who created this primary source?
3. When was it created?
4. Why was it created?
5. What message does the source convey?
6. Are there other primary source materials related to it?
7. Why is the source important?
Give each student a photograph. Put students in pairs and have them describe to their partner what they see in the picture.
Learning About an Era
Primary Source materials can help us to get a feel for what an era in our history was all about. Advertisements providean interesting view of an era
by showing the products that were for sale, their cost, and their value to consumers. Ad*Access takes a look at over 7,000 ads that were
printed in newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. This collection is available to the public through Duke University. It focuses on the following
five major subject area: Television; Radio; Transportation; Beauty and Hygiene, and Word War II.
Duke University Copyright Policy for the Ad& Access and Emergence of Advertising in America Databases:
The images and texts on this web site have been made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. For these purposes you may
reproduce (print, make photocopies, or download) materials from this web site without prior permission, on the condition that you provide proper
attribution of the source in all copies.
What is a Primary Source?
Primary Sources are the only way that students today can understand what happened in the past. By examining a primary source, you are looking at real records, documents, and images that represent events in our history. The facts are in front of you to analyze. There are many different types of primary sources that can help to clarify and tell the story.The Importance of Primary Sources
Primary sources are often times the only record of what occurred from the past. Human memory can provide us with first hand testimony, but the
actual artifacts provide us with an opportunity to carefully examine those materials in an unbiased manner. They provide us with a picture and an
understanding of what really happened during those times.Types of Primary Sources
Analyzing Primary Sources
The following five-step process can help you to analyze a primary source:
1. What type of primary sources is it?
2. Who created the primary source?
3. Where and when was it created?
4. What does the source tell you?
5. Why was it created?
Questions to ask:
1. What is the material?2. Who created this primary source?
3. When was it created?
4. Why was it created?
5. What message does the source convey?
6. Are there other primary source materials related to it?
7. Why is the source important?
To take a step-by-step walk through how to use primary sources visit:
The Primary Source Village
Other issues of working with Primary Sources can be explored at the following Library of Congress site:
Working with Primary Sources
Worksheets for Analyzing Primary Sources
Teacher's Guide and Analysis ToolAnalyzing Photographs
Photograph Analysis WorksheetViewing Photographs
Photo Analysis Guide
Fake or Foto Challenge
Classroom Activity for Analyzing Photographs
Give each student a photograph. Put students in pairs and have them describe to their partner what they see in the picture.Learning About an Era
Primary Source materials can help us to get a feel for what an era in our history was all about. Advertisements providean interesting view of an eraby showing the products that were for sale, their cost, and their value to consumers. Ad*Access takes a look at over 7,000 ads that were
printed in newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955. This collection is available to the public through Duke University. It focuses on the following
five major subject area: Television; Radio; Transportation; Beauty and Hygiene, and Word War II.
The Duke University Digital Collections offers images from an earlier time in our country's history. The Emergence of Advertising in America website contains
over 9,000 images about the history of advertising in America.
Duke University Copyright Policy for the Ad& Access and Emergence of Advertising in America Databases:
The images and texts on this web site have been made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. For these purposes you may
reproduce (print, make photocopies, or download) materials from this web site without prior permission, on the condition that you provide proper
attribution of the source in all copies.
Using Primary Sources in Instruction Examples:
Teaching the Civil War ResourcesTeaching With Documents: